PHOENIX—Hanley Ramirez and his Los Angeles Dodger handlers see no problem with Ramirez not playing much shortstop this winter or this spring.

Ramirez acknowledged he needed work at the position this spring but said he will be ready by opening day. Dodger manager Don Mattingly disputed the notion that Ramirez needed a lot of work based on last season’s performance at shortstop and also said that Ramirez would be ready to play the position, and play it well, by the time the Dodgers open the regular season April 1.

A minor shoulder injury kept Ramirez from playing shortstop in winter ball. And with two defensively-apt shortstops on the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic roster, Ramirez isn’t likely to play any games at the position during the tournament, which starts the first week of March and could keep Ramirez out of camp until late March.

Ramirez played 503 1/3 innings (57 games) at short last season, and according to fangraphs.com, he wasn’t very good. Ramirez had a minus-10 Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 innings played and was at minus-7 Defensive Runs Saved. Range and timing seemed to be Ramirez’s biggest problems once he transitioned to shortstop from third base, where he began the season with the Miami Marlins.

Ramirez said he was surprised by how difficult the return to shortstop was for him after he spent almost his entire career playing there until last season.

“Last season was different because I made the move in the middle of the season,” Ramirez said. “It was different preparation at third base. I wasn’t very good, and I know I can do better than that.”

Mattingly said he isn’t concerned with the lack of game time Ramirez will get this spring because most of his workload will be on the back fields with coaches hitting him ground balls.

“At least he played winter ball. So what’s that tell you?” Mattingly said. “A lot of guys don’t play winter ball and they are prepared for the season.”

Ramirez’s success at the position is key to the Dodgers’ defensive success. If he can be a serviceable shortstop—he was never great there—at age 29, the Dodgers won’t have to force Dee Gordon or Luis Cruz into the position when they aren’t ready or capable of playing it. Cruz is better suited for third base, and there are questions about whether he’ll hit well enough to hold the position all season. Gordon, last season’s opening day shortstop, has the range and arm to play short, but his glove and bat are still suspect. He’s more likely to start the season in the minors.

On the other side of the ball, Ramirez was asked if he thought he could once again be the hitter that won a batting title in 2009. Ramirez laughed before responding.

“I mean, you want me to hit .340 with 15 homers? No,” Ramirez said. “But .310, .305 or .290 with 20-plus homers? Yeah. It depends where you hit. If I’m hitting in the middle of the lineup, RBIs will get the job done.”